Sharing this to my readers should be a great way to start a new day. With much hope, the sun will shine as bright as the egg when it rises. Egg ? Yes egg.
Understandable I believe (:
Alhamdulillah, being there with Ustaz's, Captain and the others last night was a way of God trying to keep me on track with Him and a privileged I believe God gave me to extend my knowledge and share it with the others. And that is why I'm putting this publicly. InsyaAllah many will benefit as much as I do.
First of all, let me introduce you to Captain James Yusuf Yee, the Former U.S. Army Muslim Chaplain in Guantanamo Bay and one of the first Muslim Chaplain in the U.S.
Captain James Yusuf Yee was converted (as he would like to be preferably called. Instead of reverted) on April 1991. Maa faced me right in the face after he told us about this. I figured well, it was because of my sister, Wowo was born during that time around. Well nothing in relation to Captain James experience though. I'm refreshing things well now that I can still remember each and every detail. At least for now, insyaAllah.
As we went back to Captain James Yusuf Yee story, he grew up in Springfield, New jersey and was raised as a Christian. His mum is a strong believer in Christianity and have been that way since he was a child. Meanwhile, his dad is a secular and did not practice anything whatsoever. Every Sunday until he's in 8th grade, his mother will take him to the Sunday class at the church. Eventually, he was led by his mother to join in the Youth group there. He will be sitting in the Church with a pastor twice a week during the Youth group session together with the other Youth group member learning about Christianity. During 8th grade, he was being confirmed to have completed learning. That is when his mother gave him the freedom whether or not to attend the usual Sunday class because she decided he had gained everything he needs to know to keep his faith in being a Christian.
When he got into 9th Grade, which is during his teenage years, he became passionate about athletic involvement. He will only attend and participate in going to the Church once in a blue moon.
When he got into West Point (College), he began to sense on the need for spiritual. However, he couldn't find any of that as a Christian and began searching for spirituality. Soon after graduating, he got himself being the 2nd Lieutenant officer. And went to an ocean shore to celebrate being a new graduate with a bunch of friends. On the way back after celebrating, he had stopped by Washington D.C to visit one of his college drop-out friend. The meeting had led him to meet his friend's roommate. They were talking and somewhat led to a much more deeper conversation just because Captain Yee confronted him for his need in spirituality and that he somehow couldn't get that in Christianity. His friend's roommate later asked him whether he would take that Jesus not being the son of a God and that God is one. Captain James Yusuf Yee but of course, being a Christian right at the time were furious with the statement being asked. He was later being asked by another question from his friend's roommate, which was whether he knew anything about Islam for that is their belief. Still furious, he answered 'No' and showed some resentment in knowing. What made him caught off his guard was again due to another question that's being asked by the same person, "How can you judge something without even knowing facts about it ?". And then it hit him.
After that day, he went to a bookstore to get a book on Islam. And his first book in acknowledging him towards this one religion was called 'Understanding Islam'. He later got himself a second book, 'Islam in Focus' which explains more on the concept being practice by the Muslims. What amazed and anticipated him was the fact that Muslim also believes in Virgin Mary and Jesus. Just like Christian. And that Jesus is not the son of God, whereby, he is one of the great people in Islam. He would later learn about the other prophet such as Abraham, Moses, Noah, Adam, and et cetera. The fact that he found the prophets name familiar to what he already believes in because he'd learned that before during his days in the Youth group, made him realized Islam is a true religion. And that's when he accepted Islam and took the 'Syahadah' not to long after that. His parents, especially his mother thought nothing more about him being a Muslim then just a passing stage in his life. And that he would come out from his senses and got back in being a Christian.
Upon growing, he have always been living his life and classifying himself as a simple Christian. Nothing like his mother that goes to the Church frequently. Therefore, after he converted from being a Christian to a Muslim, he would still live his life as he would called a simple believer to Islam or a simple Muslim. He would learn and read about the pillars in Islam. About fasting on the month of Ramadhan, doing Hajj once in a lifetime and even about getting something back for the poor and the needy by doing 'Zakat'. He would also learn about other people that have already went for Hajj twice or more than once in their lifetime. And that some Muslims would be fasting on Monday and Thursday eventhough it's not in the month of Ramadhan. And he would said to himself that he would someday do Hajj once and fast only during the Holy month of Ramadhan and nothing more because he wants to be a simple Muslim.
After 5 months being a new Muslim, he was later assigned to be in Germany as an officer. Shortly after, the whole unit where been deployed to Saudi Arabia on the aftermath of 9/11. And they were there for 6 months. During their stay, there was one Saudi Cultural Centre that held out frequent dialogue on Saudi cultural and Islam. And they would spend most of their time there listening that soon after, 5 to 7 thousands of U.S. Army soldiers converted to Islam. There were also a Military memorandum in the centre. At one point, there was a memo informing that the Saudi Military will take the newly converted Muslims to go to Mecca for Umrah. Right then, who could believe how lucky Captain James Yusuf Yee was, because shortly right after he converted to Islam, that is, 5 months after, he was later on his way to do his Umrah.
Upon arriving, he had this usual Western way of thinking on how he would be different from the other Muslims people because he thought that Muslims are only for Arabs and that he would be unique once he reach Mecca. To his surprised, the first group he saw once he got into the 'Tanah haram' was an Asian group. And the ladies mostly wearing white hijab to cover up. It could be Malaysian or Indonesian, but what he had known for sure was that they are Asian people. And he was even surprised to see people of colours being in a one Holy place for one rightful reason, that is for the name of Allah S.W.T. He later met a group of people from America and was excited about it. They were students from Medina that came to do their Umrah. After being given a 4 day off, and benefited an eye-opening experience, he got back to his duty.
Back in his unit, there were a lot of Christian chaplain were instated. But neither one of them was a Muslim chaplain. Since there was no one at that time to represent the Muslim people in the U.S. Army, he had taught himself to be the first Muslim chaplain for the U.S. Army in later years. Which then led him into being the Muslim chaplain in Guantanamo Bay. Though he might not be the first Muslim chaplain, he had said to be proud of serving for the Muslim rights in the U.S. Army while he was on duty.
The continuation of the story would be on his experience being the Muslim chaplain at Guantanamo Bay. As it will reveal the hardship he had to go through and the pain some of the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay had to suffer. Which some, even up to this very day.
Hearing Captain Yee talking about his experience was an eye-opening once in a lifetime experience to me. I would consider myself one of the lucky person to hear this man talk. Because he gave me a memorable two talks. And this is such an enlightenment because I can see how these people who are not born Muslim being more overboard in their knowledge on Islam in comparison to the ones that were born Muslim like myself. It can be sometimes shameful too. Maa have this one Indian girl worker in the hospital that knows almost everything about Islam. And she even told Maa that she wanted to help and talk out of one of her college because the girl was going against every rule of Islam albeit she's a Muslim herself. And listen up, the indian girl is not YET a Muslim. I think it's amazing. And Maa have been trying to find her more books to understand more about Islam and been wanting to take her to meet our Ustaz Hussein Yee. I'll be praying for her to be more open-hearted to embrace Islam even more. And insyaAllah become one, one day.
